Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Struggle With Drugs Before His Tragic Death

For over 20 years, Philip fought back and forth with drug and alcohol abuse, and though he had recently been sober, he finally lost the battle — on Feb. 2 he was found dead from an apparent heroin overdose.

Philip Seymour Hoffmanlost his life to an apparent drug overdose on Feb. 2. He was just 46 years old. Unfortunately, the Oscar-winning actor was no stranger to struggling with drug addiction, and it was something he fought for more than half of his life.

Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Battle With Drug Addiction

In the past decade or so, Philip had become vocal about his struggles with drugs. He copped to a serious addiction that began after he graduated from New York University in 1989. “It was all that drugs and alcohol, yeah,” he told 60 Minutes in 2006. “It was anything that I could get my hands on… I liked it all.”

Philip Seymour Hoffman – CNN Remembers

Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead

Philip was eventually able to control his addiction, and he remained sober for 23 years, until May 2013 when he checked himself into rehab for heroin abuse. The actor had reportedly gotten back into substance abuse and felt like he was on the verge of an epic collapse, so he wanted to stop himself before that, TMZ reported at the time.

Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead At 46

Tragically though, it seems that the ugliness of Philip’s addiction reared its head again — and after fighting it off for so many years, he finally lost.

Philip was found dead in his New York City apartment on Feb. 2 with a hypodermic needle still in his arm, according to the New York Post. His body was also found next to an envelope that is suspected to have contained heroin. “He was shooting up in the bathroom,” a policeman confirmed.

“He really couldn’t kick his addiction but was very good at hiding it and making it look like he was defeating his demons,” a source close to Philip told HollywoodLife.com exclusively.

The actor was clearly trying to ward off his demons, but he just couldn’t hold them off any longer. We can only hope that others flirting with addiction will see how it’s so brutally taken one of Hollywood’s greatest talents, and be influenced to seek the best help.